Conspiracies The Nuttiest Conspiracy Theories About the Founding Fathers

List Rules Vote up the conspiracy theories about the US Founding Fathers you think are the most out there.

Reading Founding Father conspiracies is practically a national pastime. After all, the late 18th century was a chaotic and tumultuous period of history. Tensions between the American colonies and Great Britain were brewing, propaganda was flying, and everyone was looking for reasons to discredit their political rivals.

As a result, there are some pretty crazy conspiracies not just from people today, but from the Founding Fathers themselves. Though the American Revolution was seen as a romantic time - despite the treason and constant mudslinging - the guys behind it could be pretty ruthless people. They saw conspiracies everywhere they looked, which made sense given that the British government was eventually out to kill them. It seems that tradition has continued through to today with some pretty crazy speculations.

So, take out your tin foil hats, put in your Blu-ray of National Treasure, and get ready for the craziest conspiracy theories about US Founding Fathers.

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George Washington Met Barack Obama Through a Time Travel Experiment

Washington state lawyer Andrew Basiago claims to have been part of the time travel experiment Project Pegasus, which saw 140 children sent through time to specific moments in history. According to Basiago, future presidents like Clinton, Obama, and both Bushes saw famous events like the Gettysburg Address and got to meet George Washington. It sounds like they were training these kids to be the leaders of tomorrow.

George Washington Was Replaced with the Head of the Illuminati

Photo: Gilbert Stuart/Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain Adam Weishaupt, known as the founder of the Illuminati, is theorized to have had his eye on America for quite some time. After Weishaupt was exiled from Bavaria in 1785, it's been said he killed Washington and took his place as president in order to corrupt the American government. According to the theory, the portrait of Washington on the one dollar bill isn't him at all - it's actually Weishaupt.

Thomas Jefferson Was Pretty Much the Antichrist

When Jefferson was running for president in 1800, his opponents started a smear campaign so epic it turned into a massive conspiracy theory against him. The theory held that not only was he in league with the Illuminati, but he was anti-religion, committed blasphemies, and was part of a world-wide conspiracy to destroy governments and Christianity itself. Well, he was elected... and Christianity is still here. Maybe he didn't try hard enough?

Thomas Jefferson and John Adams Committed Suicide Together

It's a matter of amazing historical coincidence that close friends John Adams and Thomas Jefferson died on the same night. That date, in fact, was July 4th, 1826... the fiftieth anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Some people think that's just too much of a coincidence - so of course there's a theory that they staged the whole thing for dramatic effect. However, Adams died in Massachusetts and Jefferson died in Virginia, so this might not hold water.

But hey, even if it is true you can't say they didn't go out in style.